The Heart of Love
by Sweetlilloz
Summary: Written for the NFA secret Santa 09. A fluffy little Tate one shot. Sorry I never really came up with a summary for it.


**OMG she has n NCIS story dont all die from shock at once he he he Ok this was written for the NFA Secret Santa for 09 I was ment post it after the authors were known but forgot. so here it is my entry for secret santa.**

* * *

~The heart of love~

There was a saying that said patience was a virtue; well Tony DiNozzo must have skipped that day up in heaven when god was handing that out. It was a muggy miserable and all round stinking hot summers night even with the AC on and the fans going at it at top speed. It still felt like they were trying to breathe underwater. Why of all nights did the heat wave have to start on this one? They had had the perfect day a lovely picnic by the beach in a nice shady area; followed by a walk along her favorite strip of shops. Then they came home got into their swimmers and went for a swim he could still see her tanned body in his mind. It was an image he liked and one that made him smile.

All of this had led him to where he was now sitting on the window sill of the fire escape, looking out to the skyline of Washington DC. He remembered what had brought him to this day to this feeling. It all started with a ride on air force one…or bravo foxtrot oh what ever the name was it had been air force one. It had started that day the day he met Caitlin Todd. Sure he annoyed the hell out of her at first. But that was classic playground behavior. If a boy likes a girl he'll annoy the hell out of her. That's the way he saw it, his girlfriend however might have seen it a different way. The way Kate told it was massively different to how he did. He saw it as a way of getting her attention. She said it was just his way of pissing her off till she confronted him about it. Either way you look at it, it worked. She'd come up to him asking why the heck he was annoying her so much he replied.

"Just pulling your pigtails Katie"

"I don't wear pigtails and don't call me Katie." She had muttered it was true she had never worn pigtails, but it was a saying and one she should have known. However when this annoyed she got extremely literal.

"It's a saying Katie and I'll call you Katie if I want to." said Tony with a cheeky grin Kate rolled her eyes at Katie she hated that name always had.

"Its not a very clear saying now is it" sighing Tony had shook his head there was only one way he was going to get through to her now. So even though he knew she could rip him a new one he took the bold choice and kissed her.

"Get it now?"

After she had slapped him and a week of him telling her it wasn't a joke or a prank Abby had put him up to they had slowly started out till where they were now.

---

He looked away from the lights of the city over to his sleeping girlfriend. She was wearing one of his button down shirts and cotton short shorts. Tony thought she was mad sleeping or trying to sleep in this heat. Getting up he padded over to her and notice that she as infact asleep.

"Mad" he muttered with a smirk.

Caitlin Todd woke with the sun rise and cringed "Argh bright dam sun" she muttered raising a hand to block the sun from her eyes. She then noticed her boyfriend sitting on the end of their bed.

"Tony what are you up to?" she asked sitting up and smiling at him. He shrugged and started unrolling a piece of string.

"Tony you're doing what they did on step mum-

"Its on your thumb Katie, not your finger give me more credit then that will you I do have some imagination. No this is me just trying to get your attention" he said with a mischievous smirk. Kate sighed and rolled her eyes then looked him up and down, wondering what he was up to.

"Ok you've got it now what?" she asked knowing the answer she was going to get.

"I love you. You know that right?" he asked.

"Oh really I couldn't tell. The diamond necklace you got me for my birthday wasn't a dead give away," she said rolling her eyes and smirking at him.

"Ok miss Sarcasm. Tell me this; what am I giving you now?"

"A ring the notes and everything you've left on my desk at work that string you've been watching P.S I love you and Step mum. What trying to get in touch with your girly side?" she asked.

"Uh no…Nice try though. This string was just to get you thinking that," he said opening his hand to reveal that there was nothing there but Cotton on a spool

"As I said give me a little more credit Katie. You do know what today is right?" he asked her Kate shrugged and wondered what he was playing at.

"Our day off, Saturday, the hottest day in record I'm guessing. Anything I'm missing?" she asked Tony laughed and nodded he couldn't believe she had forgotten.

"You're correct about all of those thing but Katie babe you're missing one thing; today's date, it's the tenth of July 2009."

"Yeah so; what's so special about it?" Kate asked as her brow frowned wondering about what he was going on about.

"Four years ago I met this woman who would change my life forever, I don't think she ever knew just how much better she made it though" he said wondering if she had caught on to what he was saying by the look on her face she didn't.

"What are you doing here with me then?" it was spiteful full of hate and he could tell she wasn't impressed.

"I met her on this flight, well really my boss and I gate crashed the party; see this guy had just had lunch with president Bush. And well he carked it. There was this secret service chick who told my boss that she grew what she needed when he asked her if her jock strap ever gave her an empty feeling." He said smirking as she realized she was the women he was talking about.

"Like some species of frogs I grow what I need. How did you remember that I wasn't even talking to you?" she asked Tony smiled and pulled her into a hug playing with her hair.

"You had my attention from the moment I met you. But I- well to tell you the truth you kinda scared me. I'd only ever met one person like that-

"I scared the great Tony DiNozzo?" Kate asked teasing him Tony sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Let me finish, I wasn't always that way when I was younger I wasn't the player you met. But- well I had this girlfriend in college who I loved. I mean loved a lot I thought she was the one; the girl I was going to marry you know. I had the ring and everything I spent months setting it up the perfect proposal. I came home the day I was going to do it. I walked into the kitchen to see- well I- I saw her and my best friend on the kitchen bench. They didn't see me or didn't care. You reminded me of her. I was attracted to you but I'd been burnt once before so I decided to annoy the hell out of you at first. But when you started it back I knew you weren't like her. I-well I was still a little shy. I know it's hard to believe me shy but I was. It wasn't till we almost lost you with Ari and all his crap that I realized I had to say something" Kate smiled and looked up at him.

"Well I won't be doing that with anyone but you anytime soon; so you have nothing to worry about. Any one who has a key to get in here might have something to worry about" Tony laughed and shook his head he knew then he had made the right choice.

"I got you this" he said picking up her hand and fastening a bracelet to her wrist. Kate looked down at it and her jaw dropped.

"Tony this must have a cost a fortune" Tony nodded it did cost him a fortune but he didn't care about cost when it came to Kate.

"It did, but you're worth it. So don't argue with me about taking it back." she smiled and kissed him.

"If you say so" she said fingering the diamond encrusted bracelet.

"I want you to know that this from me is a promise; I love you Katie I do. With all my heart but given my past I don't want to jump into something. I hope you can understand that. This is a promise that I will be true to you, and only you. One year from now I will ask you that question you won't know where or when but I will," Kate nodded and snuggled into him.

"You spoil me to much you know that?"

"I know"

--

One year on.

"So I was thinking-

"Well there's a shocker right there you thinking," Kate just looked at the man standing in front of her.

"You are standing on the balcony of a hotel room, and we are at least 5 stories high you really want to start that now. One simple push and you're a goner. I'll be the grieving widow for a day or two then shack up with some one else." Tony DiNozzo looked at the face of the woman in front of him and laughed.

"Ok I'm sorry that's just too funny, you shacking up with some one else that's a laugh you love me to much. And besides the camera right above your head would catch you killing me. You're too sexy to go to jail Katie" he said wrapping his arms around her bare hips; as he turned them around to look out over the coastline.

"I do have one question for you though. I thought you promised one year ago you'd ask me to marry you what happened to that idea don't you love me anymore?" Kate asked Tony looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"What do you mean what happened to it. I asked you, you said yes and we got married now you're going on about how I broke a promise by asking you six months early. Gezz a guy can never win. I should just take it all back now." He said knowing the reaction he would get. Kate spun around and shook her head wrapping her arms tightly around is neck before kissing him. Her left hand slid down to cup his face, the setting sun capturing the diamonds of her wedding ring in the sunlight and sending rainbow patterns over them and the walls beside them.

"Let me guess the necklace bracelet and ring were a set" she said resting her head on his. Tony sighed she had figured it out taken her a while but he had hopped she wouldn't get it at all.

"How'd you figure it out?" he asked.

"Well the strangest thing I was packing your bag for this trip and well I came across this box in the bottom of your side of the wardrobe. That said 'The heart of Love collection' being the curious person that I am I opened it and some smart person forgot to take the pamphlet of what's in there out, also said dumb ass left the receipt in there. But he's my dumb ass" she said poking him.

"That I am and I wouldn't have it any other way. I less then three you Katie pie" said Tony laughing at the confused look on her face.

"How you make a heart online." He said Kate rolled her eyes.

"That was lame, but I heart you too" Laughing they shook there heads and stood there watching the rest of the sunset. They had watched it go down many times but this was the first time they had watched it fade into night as a married couple. Kate's head rested on Tony's shoulder as they watched the ocean change from bright blue to dark blue and as the golden sun set on another perfect day. There would be many more sunsets to come but today's was special. Five years ago they had met on that very day and five years on they were on their honeymoon. No one could have guessed that would happen. Ok a few people could have you and me but let's not spoil their fun. What happens next is a story for another time.


End file.
